Eliot Tatelman is different. I mean, the guy has a ponytail. But it’s not his looks that I want to talk about, it is his approach to marketing and how he and his brother, Barry, took their family’s mom-and-pop store and turned it into a thriving business.

Tatelman is the president and CEO of Jordan’s Furniture, which is owned by billionaire Warren Buffett. He hosted a Splash event last month sponsored by the Rhode Island Small Business Recovery Program at the company’s newest store in Warwick, R.I. During the event, which featured a laser, water and sound show, Tatelman talked about his approach to selling furniture and what it takes to capture the attention of busy consumers in a crowded marketplace.

Love what you do, and choose employees who love it, too. Tatelman believes business is about people and he makes them the focus of every touch point starting with employees. At Jordan’s, new staff members train for six weeks before they are given an opportunity to interact with customers. They also are required to read Raving Fans: A Revolutionary Approach to Customer Service by Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles. The book is about strategies for exceeding customer expectations and driving loyalty. Tatelman’s 1,200 employees understand that the business is about the people involved and having fun, not just furniture and sales.

Be different, make shopping an unforgettable experience. Tatelman has a keen ability to think like a consumer, not a businessman. He has found inspiration in the casinos of Las Vegas where patrons arriving to see a concert, show or performance must walk through aisle after aisle of slot machines before reaching their intended destination. It is the novelty of the show that gets them in the door, but it is the slot machines that get them to stay. Tatelman created the Splash experience with this concept in mind. It is an attraction that brings new consumers into the store and encourages them to stay awhile. Other Jordan’s Furniture stores feature their own unique draws. The Natick and Reading, Mass. stores, for example, are home to an IMAX 3D theater. Other store locations have restaurants and seasonal events that invite customers.

Keep it local. While it is perhaps most well-known for its Red Sox promotions, offering special discounts if the team wins the World Series, Jordan’s Furniture gets involved more deeply in the communities the business serves by giving back to organizations that support children and families in need. Participating in cause marketing shows the personal side of the business reinforcing its strong family roots.

Jordan’s Furniture differentiates itself from its competitors with these strategies. Tatelman focuses on people through service, entertainment and philanthropy. He might offer the right product at the right price, but bend over backwards customer service is the backbone of the business.

Like this:

LikeLoading...

Related

About Julie A. Novak

Julie A. Novak is a professional communicator known for her entrepreneurial spirit, energy and creativity. She creates campaigns that build relationships and loyalty. Julie earned a master’s degree in integrated marketing communications from West Virginia University and is a member of Leadership Rhode Island’s 2013 class.

Hi I have visited Jordan’s Furniture and got really some awesome bedroom furniture items. I appreciate Jordan’s different strategies which all other furniture stores should follow. We will also consider these strategies.
Thanks for sharing some nice tips.
Laura@ DooleysFurniture.com

Hi! I could have sworn I’ve visited this website before but after going through a few of the articles I realized it’s new to me.
Nonetheless, I’m definitely delighted I came across it and I’ll
be bookmarking it and checking back often!

My coder is trying to persuade me to move to .net from PHP.
I have always disliked the idea because of the
expenses. But he’s tryiong none the less. I’ve been using WordPress on a variety of websites
for about a year and am concerned about switching to another platform.
I have heard fantastic things about blogengine.net. Is there a way I can import all my
wordpress posts into it? Any kind of help would be really appreciated!

Hi, I do believe this is an excellent blog. I stumbledupon it ;) I will come
back yet again since i have book marked it. Money and freedom is the greatest way to change, may you be rich and
continue to guide other people.

Howdy just wanted to give you a quick heads up. The text
in your content seem to be running off the screen in Chrome.
I’m not sure if this is a formatting issue or something to do with web browser compatibility but I figured
I’d post to let you know. The design and style look
great though! Hope you get the problem resolved soon. Cheers

Hi there! I could have sworn I’ve visited this blog before but after going through many of the articles I realized it’s new to
me. Regardless, I’m definitely delighted I stumbled upon it and I’ll
be book-marking it and checking back frequently!

I truly love your blog.. Excellent colors & theme. Did you create
this amazing site yourself? Please reply back as I’m looking
to create my own personal website and would love to learn where you got this from or just what the theme is named.
Cheers!

Hi there would you mind letting me know which hosting company you’re utilizing?
I’ve loaded your blog in 3 different web browsers and I must say this blog loads a lot faster then most.
Can you suggest a good internet hosting provider at a reasonable price?
Thanks a lot, I appreciate it!

Hi! I could have sworn I’ve visited this blog before but after going through a few of the articles I realized it’s new to me.
Anyhow, I’m certainly pleased I stumbled upon it and I’ll be bookmarking it and checking back frequently!

I read a lot of interesting articles here. Probably you spend a lot of time writing, i know how to
save you a lot of work, there is an online tool that creates
high quality, SEO friendly articles in minutes, just search in google – laranitas free content
source